Source: NCDA&CS, 4/14/21


In 2018, North Carolina produced its first natural gas. This gas came from pig farms.   Eastern North Carolina is dotted with pig farms, with the state ranking second in the United States in the production of hogs. It is no surprise that the first biogas operation is located in the heart of these swine operations, Duplin County.

Currently five farms have covered digesters, which are synthetically lined lagoons with thermally welded covers placed on top that can expand or contract with the amount of gas being produced. The digesters create an oxygen-free home that is the best environment for the specific bacteria that consumes the manure in the covered lagoon and then expire biogas. This captured gas is about 65 percent methane, a major constituent of natural gas. The biogas is then piped to a local, central upgrade station where it is refined and injected into the natural gas pipeline before being sent to homes and businesses as energy.

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